About two months ago I got a call from a pregnant woman. She told me that her OB had informed her that her blood glucose was high and that she had “one week to get her act together”. It’s probably a good thing I waited this long to write about it, because I was pretty upset at the time.
Let me explain. Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a situation where a pregnant woman’s body cannot keep up with the demand for insulin. The insulin requirement increases drastically during pregnancy because the hormones of pregnancy counteract the work of insulin. Many women get GDM. None of them want to get it. Most of them panic when they are told about it. The reason for the panic is because these women feel they have done something wrong and it will hurt their baby. I don’t think I’ve ever met with a woman with GDM who wasn’t completely stressed out.
Imagine getting this scary diagnosis (anything is scary when you’re pregnant, let alone having a disease that can affect your baby). Now imagine being told you have to “get your act together”. If you are reading this and you have or have had GDM, please be assured that you did not do anything wrong. For whatever reason your body could not make enough insulin during pregnancy. Making healthy food choices and exercising can certainly help manage blood glucose, and for some women these are enough to keep blood glucose levels stable and safe throughout pregnancy. However, for other women, medication is required. This still doesn’t mean you’re a failure.
The most important things about managing GDM are the following: 1) keep blood glucose levels in a safe range for you and your baby (see your health care provider and a diabetes educator for guidelines and recommendations) 2) don’t stress: be well-informed, take deep breaths, surround yourself with a good support network, tell yourself that you are doing a good job and 3) stay active and healthy after your pregnancy to prevent getting type 2 diabetes later on. Women with GDM have an increased risk for type 2 diabetes later in life, so it’s important to take off that “pregnancy weight”. Taking baby for walks is good for the whole family and you can be a role model in preventing type 2 diabetes.